Packing Light in the Summer of 2022

Hank Schrader, USMA '71, Europe Destination & Europe River Cruise Expert

Anne Schrader, Certified Travel Counselor & Certified Luxury Cruise Specialist

www.dreamdestinations.com

As I’m sure we have all experienced, packing the correct items for your trip but not taking too much is one of the hardest challenges for most folks when we travel. We all want to pack for that just in case scenario which leads to over-packing but do you really need all those clothes and items?

Taking less also presents at least 2 other challenges—looking nice or even professional and facing different seasons of the year.

It even gets worse when you face the current conditions of air problems lost checked luggage in some European countries (14 July 2022). As a result, both Anne and I have decided to use carry on luggage on our flight from Houston to Amsterdam this summer.

So here is the challenge for me—use my new 22” carry-on luggage and my trusted leather Tumi second piece of luggage to bring enough to handle 21 days of travel, look reasonably professional during part of the trip on a river cruise, and get my 2 pieces of luggage on a train easily, since large suitcases often pose a storage problem and struggles boarding and leaving the trains with heavy bags during the short stops.

I do realize that it is much more difficult for women than men, as I don’t wear make-up, need several pair of shoes to look proper—you get the idea.

So, let’s explore together and learn if it is going to work for me!

What are Some Reasons for Over Packing?

I think the first and most obvious reason is the “just in case” approach to packing. It is the planning for the absolute worst case scenario. Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts have the moto ”Be Prepared” and that means for everything, not the most likely situation.

I also think you can’t ignore the comfort factor of having a lot of different clothes to choose from—less stress because you didn’t make hard choices before the trip.

Maybe the often overlooked reason, is that you may have bought new clothes especially for the trip and just can’t leave it home.

In reality, it is a departure from your comfort zone—I can always just go to the closet at home, so if I bring it I will feel more secure. It reduces stress and anxiety—let’s face it, sometimes travel is stressful but so rewarding and just a little something extra brings us comfort.

So understanding these concerns, can I pare down my clothes, look reasonably professional, and feel comfortable? I think I can, so here is my game plan.

Some Good Rules for Packing Light

The most obvious is you are not going to wear 1 item 1 time on the trip. My goal is to get at least 2 uses of each item such as shirts and pants. I will definitely need more shirts (top layers) than pants. 3 or more wears is a bonus.

No more than 3 pair of shoes.

Anything that can do double duty such as a shirt that would look good during the day and could be worn at night in more dressy situations and still look good for both parts of the trip means I can cut at least one piece of clothing.

I must have clothes that make me look professional or at least not sloppy or inappropriate.

My clothes must also not offend anyone due to cultural norms.

Landry is my friend—it means less clothes and fresh clothes, which it is great thing, so I have to bring clothes that can be washed and dried without causing any damage to them. It will most likely get me into the bonus area of 3 or more uses on the trip. Quick drying underwear that can be washed in a sink to dry overnight is also a plus.

If it is a toss up to bring or not to bring it, don’t bring it—be mentally tough and make the hard decisions early. The advice I have often read is lay out everything you might want to bring and cut it by one-half. I’m not sure I totally agree with this but I like the principle.

Don’t worry about looking perfect—just look good and be comfortable.

Pack early—reduce your stress (we are 8 days out and I’m following my own advice by writing this blog and already packed)..

A Closer Look at My 2 Pieces of Luggage

I’m using a new carry-on luggage from Solguard. (A quick disclaimer here—I don’t get any rewards from the makers of either piece of luggage or the compression bag system I’m trying out and I am not affiliated with them in any fashion). It is 22 inches and on the inside has what they call a closet insert. The concept is at arrival you don’t have to unpack—just hand the expanding insert up in the closet or from the handle with the suitcase open.

The verdict—great system but the closet insert takes up too much space, so it is better for a week or 2 at max but not right for 3 weeks.

Here are 3 photos of the closet system packed in the hard side suitcase:

The closet insert opened (left side of the photo), the laundry bag and they closet system folded up but not packed (lower right)

So, I am trying a new approach—Anne found a set of packing cubes that can reduce the space of your clothes using a system of zippers. The real question is will it work well enough to save space and make the trip easier and perhaps take a couple of items I couldn’t squeeze in without the new bag system?

First, the new packing cubes are called Bagail (trust me, no indorsement money for naming them and we gain no benefit except to try a new system to pack more clothes than without some type of compression system). The idea is to fill them up expanded and then use the zipper system to compress the items in the packing cubes.

Here is what I want to put in the 4 cubes:

This is a picture of all I am going to pack in the new compression bag system.

Packing My Hard sided 22” Suitcase

My Solegard hard-sided carry-on suitcase will have 3 Bagail packing cubes filled with my clothes that I am taking. Loose in the suitcase, will be 1 pr running/hiking shoes, a laundry bag, 1 pr lightweight cargo pants that zip-off to become shorts and a blue sports coat. My suitcase will weigh 25.8 pounds packed.

The open suitcase. the mesh zipper side on the left side holds loose items well. The right side only has a strap to secure items. You can see how I packed the new packing cubes on the right side

Here is my report about packing the hard-side suitcase. On the right side of my suitcase with just restraining strap (the deepest side of the case), I used the largest Bagail bag first. It is about 4’ wide by 18” long. Compressed it is only about 2” wide or so. Here is what I packed in this cube—6 daily shirts, 2 pr slacks and 4 dress shirts.

Ready to put in the suitcase on the right side, all fully packed and compressed—the laundry bag,, the large bag with 10 total shirts and 2 pr slacks and the sock bag

2 pair slacks and 4 dress shirts fit well in to the largest compression cube bag, along with the 6 daily wear shirts shown in the nest picture

I had them packed for a few days earlier, before writing this blog, and taking them out of the packing cube, I discovered they were a little wrinkled but not bad in my thoughts. I really liked how easy it was to fit in, as I always overstuff my bag without the cubes, and I have to rifle though everything to find what I want to wear.

The smallest bag I use for my socks. Unzipped it was about 3 ½’’ or so and 10” in length. Compressed it goes down to about 2” wide or so and fits in with big bag on the right side of the open suitcase. The only other thing on this side is my laundry bag.

Now to the left side with a full mesh liner with a zipper to hold items in. I have 1 pr light weight cargo pants, my running/hiking shoes and my blue blazer. All items are loose and not in a packing cube.

The loose items in the left side of the suitcase—1 pr cargo convertible pants, my running shoes and the folder blazer

Also on this side is my underwear bag. Using the Bagail bag that when opened is about 4 ½” by 12 ½”, I got 6 pr quick drying boxer shorts, 4 cotton T shirts and 3 quick drying undershirts in the compressed bag that went down to about 1 ½ inches.

I always wear a sports coat on the plane and use a fresh dress shirt and underwear, but I will use one of the pair of slacks that are now in the suitcase. I wear a pair of Rockport shoes for my dress up clothes.

The sports coat will fit in the suitcase, as will the dress shirt and the Rockport shoes after the flight as I will change shoes, probably to the running shoes.

My Leather Tumi Bag

My other carry on is a leather Tumi we bought in Brugge several years ago. Trust me, they are proud of Tumi luggage, and it is very pricey, but it sure does look cool—really old school traditional luggage. The true goal of any really light traveler would be to bring only this small luggage piece, but the truth is it just doesn’t work except for ultra-minimalists. Here is a photo:

My oool, old school traditional leather Tumi carry on bag

This bag should be okay as the bag of last resort, if the airlines won’t let us carry on our hard-sided suitcases (I doubt it will happen, as we are flying first class, but we always prepare for the worst-case scenario). It weighs 13.8 pounds packed. Here is what I pack in this bag:

Electronics and Essentials

It goes without saying, you will need some electronics. Here is what I carry in my hard-sided case to organize my electronics (it is a gift from some great friends)—a headlight flashlight, a larger battery charger and cords, my iPod with Bose corded earphones, my charging cord for my Fitbit, an Europe Adapter plug, and a fold down US plug.

Next my hearing aids and cleaning kit. A rechargeable portable fan. My small binoculars in a case. A Europe compatible power strip with USB slots. Sunglasses with case. AmaWaterways baseball cap. Cooling Towel (blue)--when it is wet, I wear it around my neck to help stay cool. Toilet Kit in a leather case. TSA see-through bag. Rolled up rain jacket. Bagail bag with 2 days’ worth of clothes (1 pr shorts, swimsuit, 2 pr underwear, 2 causal shirts, 2 colored T-shirts, 1 pr convertible pants). Thermos Water Bottle. Maps, small writing pad and pen, German Language book. Euros. Small battery charging system and cords in outside pocket to use with my iPhone. iPhone. Sandals. Maybe iPad. Small daily backpack.

Here is a photo of all these items:

The contents of the Tumi bag. Most items are to continue the trip safely and in comfort if the hard side case is lost.

Anne is the one who found most of these cool items, like the chargers, the small fan and Bagail packing cubes,

Now, let’s see how I plan to use the clothes I am bringing.

The Tours and Daytime

I need to stay cool but still look presentable. I need 21 days’ worth of clothes. This is going to require some hard choices.

The most flexible part is the pants and daily shirts. I’m going with 2 rather light weight cargo pants type convertible to shorts garments. I’m carrying 6 daytime shirts--one is a long sleeve that rolls up to a short sleeve shirt, the rest short sleeve.

I will take 2 pair of shoes. My sandals I can wear everywhere and my running shoes with 4-5 pair socks.

The Dinner Meal

During the evening, many but not all, get a little more dressed up on river cruises. I always like to wear a coat to dinner for 2 reasons. First, as a professional travel advisor, I think my appearance is important. Second, and perhaps the best reason, the dinner meal is a usually special 4-6 course meal, and I think honoring the time it takes to serve these meals deserves a little effort on my part to dress appropriately.

Here we are dressed for dinner. From left to right Anne, Captain Dany and Hank

So, what is the game plan for these meals? I plan to take 2 Sports Coats, 4 dress shirts and 2 different pair of pants, and one pair of shoes. I just alternate my slacks and sports coats, wear each shirt twice, so I look different each night. I also take a tie or two that Anne likes with the shits/sports jackets.

My one pair of dress shoes are also very comfortable. I could easily wear them during the day with the slacks if I want to dress up a little.

We use the laundry on the ship, to get clean pressed clothes and it is great!

Ready to Roll for 21 days—I think I did it!

Our Final Thoughts

We hope you enjoyed this report. Packing is quite a challenge and after 50 years still probably don’t have it right, but I keep trying to refine and get it better than last trip.

I think my packed clothes and game plan on what to wear will work well. I also will be very mobile, can carry on for the flights and can quickly get on and off the trains and move easily between platforms even if there is not an elevator.

We are travel experts, ocean and river cruise specialists, and Europe destination experts. We have first-hand knowledge of almost anywhere you want to visit in Europe. We know our products and the vendors who sell them to you. We have designed special tours for dozens of clients, led several and will continue to find just the right vacation that will exceed your expectations.

When you are spending your hard-earned money for a vacation, you want an advisor who can match you with the right trip. You want someone who will understand your expectations and fuel your anticipation (or excitement) to get you the best possible trip experience. And, you want someone who can help you with the decision making process. We think we have all these qualities.

Whatever your Dream Destinations are, we are here to help you get the best possible vacation based on what is important to you! We will provide you high quality, expertly planned travel. Please give me a call 713-397-0188 (Hank) or email me at hschrader@dreamdestinations.com. We want to help you: Savor life…make memories…Visit Dream Destinations! Your journey begins here!

ANNE has earned a degree from the University of Houston in Hotel and Restaurant Management. Serving as the President of Visit Dream Destinations, LLC, since 2016, she is uniquely experienced professional travel advisor with over 26 years’ experience in the travel industry. Among her numerous certifications, she is a Certified Travel Counselor (CTC) by the Travel Institute, considered the gold standard in travel agent certification and she is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC) by the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), as well Luxury Cruise Specialist also from CLIA. Having traveled often to Europe since 1989, she has expanded on her certification as a Destination Specialist in Western Europe (DS) with extensive first-hand experience in luxury vacations. She holds numerous other specialty designations from individual vendors. An expert photographer, she delights in capturing the true essence of destinations to share with all.

HANK is a certified Western European Destination Specialist (DS) who has been traveling to Europe for 50+ years. He is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC), conferred by the Cruise Line International Association (CLIA). This recognized expert in cruise and leisure travel is a retired Army Officer, and taught World Geography for 8 years. He is a `71 graduate of West Point and has earned 2 master’s degrees. His other Certifications:

AmaWaterways River Cruise Specialist
Viking River Cruise Specialist
Scenic River Cruise Specialist
Emerald Waterways Specialist
Avalon Waterways Specialist
Brit Agent

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